Protists are a diverse group of eukaryotes that are primarily single-celled and microscopic and exhibit a wide variety of shapes and life strategies.

Protist, any member of a group of diverse eukaryotic, predominantly unicellular microscopic organisms. They may share certain morphological and physiological characteristics with animals or plants or both.

Eukaryotic organisms that did not fit the criteria for the kingdoms Animalia, Fungi, or Plantae historically were called protists and were classified into the kingdom Protista.

Aug 5, 2025 · The term “protist” might sound like a placeholder—and in many ways, it is. It’s not a name for a single group of closely related organisms, but rather a convenient bin for everything that doesn’t …

Dec 23, 2025 · Have you ever examined pond water under a microscope? Did you see small organisms gliding around? If so, you saw a protist. Protists make up a large group of eukaryotic organisms on …

Nov 25, 2025 · Many different naming schemes were used over the last couple of centuries, but it has become the most common practice to refer to eukaryotes that are not land plants, animals, or fungi …

: any of a kingdom of organisms that resemble plants or animals or both, are one-celled and sometimes colonial or less often many-celled, and that typically include the protozoans, most algae, and often …

The first is a phylogeny-based definition; that protists are all eukaryotes that are not animals, fungi, or land plants (Embryophyta). The second concept includes various definitions based on biological …

Because the name “protist” serves as a catchall term for eukaryotic organisms that are not animal, plant, or fungi, it is not surprising that very few characteristics are common to all protists. On the other …

Nov 7, 2025 · Protists vary greatly in organization. Some are single-celled; others are syncytial (coenocytic; essentially a mass of cytoplasm); and still others are multicellular. (While protists may …